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“What we have seen in our community is a growing list of landlords who

previously would rent out rooms or condos to seasonal workers that
have now switched over to VRBO or Airbnb—which has created

a community-wide shortage of workforce housing.”

— T R I S H S UL L I V AN , S T E AMB O A T

The Ponds is typically booked to capacity by early way, to encourage them to use public transportation, and
October (opening day at Steamboat is traditionally in late many of them do.”
November). “We run out early…we just don’t have enough In Colorado, Copper Mountain’s 540-bed employee
units,” Sullivan said. “In some of them we’ve added a couple housing dormitory, known as The EDGE, is located at
of beds, increasing the density from four to six per unit— the ski area’s Center Village base area. In the summer it
and we offer that as an economy housing option—but we’re doubles as housing for overnight campers in the Woodward
always looking for different and better approaches.” at Copper action sports camps. During the winter The
Kim Mayhew, general manager of Solitude Mountain EDGE offers a full array of amenities including an
in Utah’s Big Cottonwood Canyon for the last two years, employee café with $5 lunches, laundry facilities, com-
previously worked much of her career as HR director at Deer munity kitchens, and ski and snowboard waxing areas.
Valley Resort, which also has struggled to resolve employee Copper has also introduced special programming for the
housing shortages. residents, including weekly yoga and meditation classes,
“At Deer Valley Resort, the Park City area is ground movie nights, and bus trips to other resorts, and to events
zero for the employee housing crunch we’re talking about,” in Denver and other mountain communities.
Mayhew said. “Deer Valley first purchased property in the The building reached 100 percent capacity for the
Prospector’s Square area back in the 1990s, and has since first time during the 2015-16 ski season and was fully
purchased another property in town and leased another booked again this season, with a growing wait list, said
facility, actively making sure there are options—subsidized Kelly Renoux, the resort’s director of employee experi-
options—for affordable employee housing in a very crowded ence. “Copper has seen a number of employees looking for
market, and it’s still not enough. I mean, you look at what’s housing, as those who would normally rent a condo in the
happening with Park City Mountain and Canyons since area no longer have that option or they are priced out of the
they’ve been joined: Both of those resorts together need to market,” Renoux said.
hire about 7,000 seasonal employees. That’s a small village! Among the other solutions Copper Mountain is experi-
So it’s a real struggle over there.” menting with is a new program to help long-term employees
In contrast, Solitude has fewer employees (about 600) buy affordable housing at the resort. In 2016 Copper built
and is closer to a major metropolitan area—prompting 15 deed-restricted townhomes in its East Village base area
Mayhew to joke that she’s enjoying the “solitude” at Solitude. through an affordable housing program with the Summit
“We have all of Salt Lake City as our housing market, which County Housing Authority, and sold them for $285,000
offers a plethora of options for our staff,” she said. “We’re each—well below the market rate—to employees of Copper
also really fortunate to have a great partnership with the Mountain and Summit County.
Utah Transit Authority and a mass-transit bus line to the Copper Mountain spokeswoman Steph Sweeney is
mountain, because transportation is another key element looking to expand such offerings in the future, and also
when we’re talking about employee housing—especially plans to keep an eye on other models across the industry for
in an area like ours where we’re 12 miles up the canyon in how to respond to the new housing market.
a watershed area and there would be incredible hurdles to “It’s definitely been a hot-button issue as we’re talking
building any kind of employee housing on-site.” with other NSAA members, and it’s one I’m personally
That’s why every Solitude employee ID card is embed- acquainted with as a renter here in Summit County,”
ded with an RFID chip, which allows workers to take the Sweeney said. “We’re really trying to make living up here
bus wherever and whenever they like. “It really does encour- affordable for both our seasonal and full-time work force. A
age our staff to take the bus up the canyon,” Mayhew said. lot of people—myself included—are trying to work out how
“We also offer that option to our season pass holders, by the to stay up here and live the mountain dream permanently.”

38 | NSAA JOURNAL | SPRING 2017